The Game of the Century: Nebraska vs. Oklahoma in College Football's Ultimate BattleThe acclaimed author of Duel in the Sun, hailed as "a perfect golf time machine" by USA Today, takes readers into the bleachers and onto the playing field for an inside look at the legendary face-off between the Oklahoma Sooners and the Nebraska Cornhuskers. On Thanksgiving Day 1971, a record fifty-five million homes tuned in to watch two powerhouse college football teams collide. Defending national champion University of Nebraska was squaring off against the country's second-ranked team, the Oklahoma Sooners. The Huskers were riding a twenty-nine-game unbeaten streak; the Sooners had the number one offense in the country. Both teams were loaded with All-Americans and future NFL stars. The legend of the game that became known as the single finest ever played actually began a few years earlier in Texas, when coach Emory Bellard came up with an innovative plan of attack that would level defenses and give coaches sleepless nights for the next twenty years. The Texas wishbone offense became the talk of sporting America, and when Oklahoma coach Chuck Fairbanks adopted it for his team in 1970, the groundwork was laid for the epic confrontation with Nebraska. Combining a meticulously researched history of college football with in-depth interviews, author Michael Corcoran tells it all: the play-by-play strategies and techniques, the personalities of the players and coaches who conceived the plans and executed them, the formations and intricate blocking schemes that spelled victory or defeat. Highlights include: Heisman winner Johnny Rodgers's storied punt return, Rich Glover's incomparable twenty-two tackles, Oklahoma's furious comebacks each time they trailed in the game, and the poignant memories of the game after it was over. Nebraska radio play-by-play man Lyell Bremser echoed the nation when he proclaimed, "I never thought I would live this long to see this kind of a football game." Filled with vivid details and nail-biting suspense, this book takes us behind the scenes and into the rich history of this practically mythical battle. From the roots of both football teams, to the players, coaches, reporters, spectators, and fans, The Game of the Century is a story that will resonate with football fans all across America. |
From inside the book
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Page 3
... Devaney said live animal mascots had no place on a football field. The only rep- resentation of the mascot allowed would be a fifteen-pound papier-mâché bison head worn by a Colorado coed. There was no doubt that Martha Hill, the ...
... Devaney said live animal mascots had no place on a football field. The only rep- resentation of the mascot allowed would be a fifteen-pound papier-mâché bison head worn by a Colorado coed. There was no doubt that Martha Hill, the ...
Page 6
... Devaney took charge in 1962. Even with the shared national title in 1970, however, Husker fans had yet to reach the point where (as they would in the not-too-distant future) they could view a national championship as a birthright. With ...
... Devaney took charge in 1962. Even with the shared national title in 1970, however, Husker fans had yet to reach the point where (as they would in the not-too-distant future) they could view a national championship as a birthright. With ...
Page 12
... fell into the hands of Biff Jones , a veteran coach who had led Louisiana State , Army , and Oklahoma . It was Jones's 1940 team that set the standard for Huskermania for all the years prior to Devaney's arrival in 12 MICHAEL CORCORAN.
... fell into the hands of Biff Jones , a veteran coach who had led Louisiana State , Army , and Oklahoma . It was Jones's 1940 team that set the standard for Huskermania for all the years prior to Devaney's arrival in 12 MICHAEL CORCORAN.
Page 13
... Devaney's arrival in 1962 . On December 1 , 1940 , one day after finishing the season with eight consecutive wins after an opening loss to Minnesota , Stan- ford asked Nebraska to be its opponent in the Rose Bowl on New Year's Day . The ...
... Devaney's arrival in 1962 . On December 1 , 1940 , one day after finishing the season with eight consecutive wins after an opening loss to Minnesota , Stan- ford asked Nebraska to be its opponent in the Rose Bowl on New Year's Day . The ...
Page 14
... Devaney was a football coach, but he looked more like a man who would give you an easy smile as he pushed his cap back slightly on his head and said he was sorry but your radiator was shot and that it'd be a day or two before the parts ...
... Devaney was a football coach, but he looked more like a man who would give you an easy smile as he pushed his cap back slightly on his head and said he was sorry but your radiator was shot and that it'd be a day or two before the parts ...
Other editions - View all
The Game of the Century: Nebraska Vs. Oklahoma in College Football's ... Michael Corcoran Limited preview - 2005 |
The Game of the Century: Nebraska vs. Oklahoma in College Football's ... Michael Corcoran Limited preview - 2007 |
Common terms and phrases
assistant coach athletes Barry Switzer beat Bellard Bill Kosch block Bob Devaney Brahaney called Chuck Fairbanks Coach Devaney college football Colorado cornerback Cornhuskers Dame Darrell Royal Dean Unruh defense Devaney's end zone Epley football players football team fullback Galen Hall Greg Pruitt head coach high school homa Huskers Jack Mildren Jeff Kinney Jerry Tagge Jim Anderson Joe Blahak Joe Wylie Johnny Rodgers Jon Harrison Kansas knew Larry Jacobson later Leon Crosswhite LINCOLN JOURNAL STAR linebacker lineman looked Lucious Selmon Mackenzie Michigan Monte Kiffin national champions national championship Nebraska never night Norman Okla Omaha option Orange Bowl Osborne Owen Field pass pitch poll practice quarterback recruited Rich Glover running back score scrimmage season Selmon sidelines Steve tackle talk Texas thing thought tight end Tom Brahaney took touchdown University varsity wanted watched week Wilkinson wishbone yards